The Aftermath
by Raziel Nightwind
Summary: When Selene returns after a fifty-year absence, she is asked to aid the Lycans. Her longing for Michael has grown to a fever pitch. Will she ever find him?
1. Default Chapter

Selene speaks:

            No longer do I walk the halls of the Coven in the safe knowledge that I am the favored child or the desired bride.  It's been fifty long years since Viktor, Kraven, and the world of lies that once made up my world to me disappeared with the eternal kiss I laid on Michael's neck.  I've wandered from place to place, biding my time in hiding until I can finally see him again.  I am not even certain if he is alive, for we parted shortly after fleeing to Moscow to regroup.  I am now the hunted, sought by my coven for the murder of my sire, and once-beloved lord, Viktor.  I can't be sure if Michael is alive, for I've seen no sign of him in a long while, but his vow of love for me has kept me sane for all this time.  My travels have brought me back to Europe, back to the city where the changes in my life began.  Though many things have changed since my last visit, there are still several things that will never change; the ageless ancient grace of a long-lived culture. 

            Selene walked with her head held high, despite the looming threat of discovery.  Her senses extended out beyond her like sonar, picking up every little detail.  In the three weeks she had been back, she hadn't seen a single Diseased, Vampire or Lycan.  The obvious silence that filled the very center of her soul with fear was not unfounded.  For the Coven to remain so quiet, particularly with the Death Dealers around, was purely unexpected.  Marcus Corvinus was not one to lie idle when the ideals of the Covenant had been broken.  Selene tossed her head, jaw-length, wavy hair blowing back from her alabaster skin.  The fog that plumed around her in swirling tendrils left beads of water on her tight, raven corset and matching leather pants.  She tensed every muscle, fingering her pistol as she caught the sound of unfamiliar footsteps.  It was a Lycan, a large, black man.  His hunched shoulders made him seem impressively huge, but he didn't seem to be actively stalking her.  In fact, she had come across several Lycans in her travels, and the reaction had been odd.  They had not actively pursued her, but they had not directly welcomed her.  She wondered to herself if it was what she had done to her sire, or their fear of Michael which drove them to such behavior.  Still, she had counted her blessings that they had kept their distance.  "Stop," he called.  His voice was deep and rasping, not unlike poorly-oiled gears.  She turned coolly to face him, hand resting readily on her weapon.  "I served Lucian."  His offer of explanation was vague at best, but she remained still for him to approach her.  "My name is Raze," he continued.  "You bit Michael Corvin, didn't you?"  Selene did nothing to dissuade him of his notion.  She said nothing, waiting for him to finish. "Where is he?"

            "I haven't seen him since the night I killed Viktor," she replied icily.  "What do you want of him?"  She knew that her timeline was slightly off, but the demanding nature of this Lycan needed no exact figures. 

            "Marcus has been wreaking havoc on our species.  The Coven, your family, they have been forced to greater measures than we ever could have imagined."

            "What do you mean?" she asked, and by way of disassociation added, "And they're no longer my family.  I am the hunted now." 

            "Marcus Corvinus has acquired the…genetic mutation," he explained lamely.  "He's bullied the Vampires to seek us out.  All of us.  This time, he is not killing us.  That stakes are far higher.  We have become experimental test subjects."  Selene glanced up sharply, lust-blued eyes brilliant in the moonlight. 

            "What do you mean?"

            "He's dissecting us, injecting us with foreign viruses and the blood of your kind.  The information about the bloodline fusion died with Viktor and Lucian.  Now you and Michael are the only ones who truly know the secret.  Our scientist died at the hands of your murderous father, and we have nothing, nothing to explain what happened to Marcus."  Selene frowned, her brow furrowing with a mixture of understanding and the thousands of new questions filling her mind.  "I am lucky to have escaped thus far.  We have to find Michael."  Her compassion for the Lycans had grown since Viktor had admitted his betrayal to her the night he died.  Despite the age-old instinct to hate her distant cousins, she was suddenly faced with the idea of setting her differences with them aside. 

            "Your kind cannot like or trust me.  Why are you asking this of me?"

            "Because without you, the world as we know it, the whole existence we have tried so hard to maintain, will come to an end.  Marcus will see us destroyed and finish Viktor's work.  He believes it is a curse to carry our illness in his veins."

            "The Vampires want me dead.  I killed an elder, and the one that created me at that.  I cannot get in any closer than I presently am.  I am trying to survive as well."  Selene turned to go.

            "I have a place.  A safe haven.  Lucian admitted to me that he trusted you to do the right thing.  Lucian was a good judge of character."  She nodded slowly, taking in all the information she'd just been fed.

            "I'm not well-liked."

            "No, but you are respected."  Selene released her death grip on her gun and nodded.  With the help of the Lycans, she might be able to find Michael sooner than she had hoped.  Raze gestured her to follow him, and she matched his pace.  The absence of Death Dealers was now easily explained.  If Marcus had used his new abilities to frighten the Vampires to aid his cause, she may have been all but forgotten in the mix.  She relied on this bit of information to comfort her as she followed Raze through a maze of streets and down a back alley.  He descended a set of metal fire escape stairs, knocking an intricate tattoo on the door.  It was answered by a young woman, barely old enough to pass as an adult.  She had unruly red hair and disturbing green eyes. 

            "Who is this?" she inquired roughly. 

            "A ward of mine.  Let us pass, Catarina."  She was intimidated by his snarling voice.  She eyed Selene with a mixture of curiosity and hatred.  "There are few havens left now, since you and your Death Dealers cracked the secrets of the tunnels.  Lucian left me in charge here."  Shadows of several figures fell across their path, receding into the darkness as she walked past.  "What is your name?"

            "Selene," she replied calmly.  She looked every inch a royal on parade as she was led past the members of this hidden pack.  She knew as long as they lived on her legend, she could bank on being safe, for the time being. 

            "Where did you see Michael last?" he inquired carefully, passing her a glass of wine he had uncorked before her.  He gestured to one of the many men standing in the passage, and a chair was brought for her to sit.  The room itself was actually an old meat locker, refrigeration unit long since broken, lengths of chain suspended from the ceiling like metal snakes.  A cot was set up in the corner, blankets twisted from unsettled sleep. 

            "Moscow, Russia.  We fled there to protect me.  Michael was more concerned that I would be hunted down than of being pursued himself for examination.  We agreed to meet up eventually, but I haven't seen him in nearly fifty years."  Selene tried not to let it out, but a definite quaver of emotion escaped in her voice.  Raze eyed her curiously. 

            "You love him?  As Sonja loved Lucian?" he inquired, picking her bare. 

            "I do," she admitted softly.  Selene had buried that thought deep inside for so long, it was almost a betrayal of herself to admit it aloud.  Still, hearing her admission on her own lips filled her with a new desire.  She wanted, moreover, had to find Michael.


	2. Subliminal Messages

            Michael had never expected to see Kraven again, especially not haunting a local hostel in Venice.  He had become a shadow of his former self, no longer decorated with lavish clothes and jewelry.  Despite appearances, Michael has his suspicions that Kraven would not be lying idle.  He was sure that the once-proud, slick-tongued Vampire would not accept Selene's answer, nor allow the Coven to revel in the sweet taste of his defeat.  He was the first, Vampire or Lycan, that Michael had seen since he had separated from Selene. 

            Michael was certain Kraven hadn't seen him, but just the knowledge that the man who had once haunted Selene, even tried to kill both of them, was around Venice was enough to make him leave.  He packed his scant belongings with a certain sadness.  His internship at a local hospital in Venice had earned him the title of Doctor Corvin.  He had watched the changes in culture, dress, and entertainment over the past fifty years and felt himself, alone, never aging a day.  His need to see Selene again had recently grown, due to a series of odd visions he had been having about her walking behind the Lycan Raze in a new hiding place.  Raze had been Lucian's second, trusted by Lucian to run things in the event of his death.  If Raze truly was with Selene, then she had returned to the city.  Trusting his blind faith and the truth of his dreams, he accepted a ride from a friend who was driving across Europe and began the taxing journey back.  He was returning to where it had all begun.  Hope that he might see Selene again, alive and well, filled his thoughts. Regret filled his blue eyes as he stared out the window, watching the scenery fly by in varying shades of color.  His brown-blond hair was longer than it had ever been, tied back so that it fell in an untidy bunch to the middle of his back.  He scarcely noticed he responses to Andrew's conversation.  Andrew was a friend from the hospital, on his way to Spain to see his girlfriend.  His offer to drop Michael off had been extremely kind, and had earned him money for gas. His friend pulled the car over to the curb, letting him out near the coast.  The rest of his journey was made on foot, with no regard for weariness.  Michael attributed this to his blood and his own sheer force of will.  Eventually, he found the area more familiar, despite half a century of changes.  Adam, the intern he had once called friend, would be near his death now.  Despite the thoughts of his past slipping away, he was coming to accept what he had become.  The streets became darker, the air more heavy, and in his homespun teal scrubs, Michael stepped back into the mysterious world he had fallen into fifty years ago. 

            Selene had set up empty beer bottles, and in her building restlessness, she squeezed off the five rounds it took to shatter them all.  Raze stared at her with mixed interest, wondering what she could possibly be thinking about.  Two weeks of hard searching had gone by, and none of his pack had found a single trace of Michael. 

            She had been treated as a cross between guest and prisoner, allowed to roam out at night only with an escort, but given free run of the den and its intricate maze of passages and rooms.  Most of her time was dedicated to writing a detailed description of what she had learned from the Lycan scientist she had interrogated, piecing together the ancient Corvinus legend and the truth she had found behind it.  Her restlessness grew as the reports kept coming back negative.  Had Michael decided the strain of his disease was too much to bear?  Had he fled beyond Europe, to the United States?  So many questions filled her mind that they nearly consumed her.  Night had recently fallen, and Selene in her anger had decided not to sit around and wait.  She was going to take matters into her own hands tonight, scour every inch of the city and all of Michael's old haunts.  At least it would be better than sitting on her hands and waiting.  "I have to go, Raze," she confided in him.  The more that they discussed things, the more she had grudgingly come to like the giant Lycan.  "I sit here no longer.  Send an escort if you must, but I cannot in good conscience sit around here a moment longer.  The better part of the manuscript you asked for has been written.  I'm of no use here."  Raze watched impassively as she shot out the new line of bottles she had arranged.  She was a most impressive shot, as Raze had witnessed firsthand on a few occasions. 

            "If you must go, then you must.  I'll escort you myself.  It is safer for you here, but I know what it is like to have to wait.  Give me ten minutes."  Selene nodded, never taking her eye off of the target as he walked out of the room.  The memory of just how many places she might find Michael was staggering.  She silently cursed herself for not setting up a definite location and time to meet up with him.  In their haste, the sound of the betrayed ringing in their ears, neither had thought that far ahead.  Her blindness had been caused by her love for him, the love that had helped Lucian achieve his dream and set Michael's true potential free.  The love that Selene now relied on to keep herself going day-to-day.

            Raze returned shortly, armed to the teeth and bugged with radio.  If they were trapped by the enemy Death Dealers, he could give an idea as to their location and call for help.  Selene could tell that it irritated him to have need for such measures.  She was not alone in her frustration after all.  "Ready?"  Raze nodded silently, leading the way back to the steel door which had become the gate to their stronghold.  He was tucking weapons in their many hiding places beneath his great trench-coat, barking out orders like an angry drill sergeant as he passed.  The thrill of traveling in such a small contingency was getting to them both, and they were becoming increasingly eager to get moving.  They unbolted the door, prepared to disappear into the veil of night.  What greeted them next, no one could have expected.

            Filling the doorway were a large group of Vampire Death Dealers, guns pointed straight at Raze's chest.  He took a surprised step back, shrugging off his jacket as the throes of transformation overtook him and his face left its more human features behind for a long, canine nose and dripping teeth.  His deafening roar rallied the other Lycans, who surrounded Selene in various stages of transformation.  She could see the tension on the lead Vampire's trigger, and shoved Raze aside as the shot was fired.  She took the silver nitrate round in her shoulder, hissing angrily and bearing her fangs like a threatened snake.  She was not allergic to the silver, as Raze was.  Still, it burned like hell, and smoke escaped the wound as her regenerative ability went to work.  "It's Selene!  Get Viktor's murderer!  Forget the Lycans, kill them if you must!"  Erika, the once-naïve Vampire craving Kraven's affections, was at the head of the Death Dealers.  A total transformation had overcome her.  Clad smartly in the thick, black leather of the Death Dealers' jacket, she looked every inch the warrior Selene had once been.  She fled, deeper into the maze.  There was no other way out that she had found besides the door by which she had first entered the haven.  Her undead heart beat hard in her chest, and she gasped for air as she urged her brain to formulate a plan.  She hit paydirt when she stumbled across the armory.  The UV ammunition the Vampires had learned of when she was still among them lined the walls.  She collected six of the clips, ejecting her normal rounds and falling down on one knee to load her guns.  She heard the click of heeled boots on the floor just outside the room.  For good measure, she scooped up another handful of the clips and crammed them into a nearby duffel bag.  Erika rounded the corner, along with her team of six others.  Selene coolly opened fire, her first two shots slamming into the forerunners.  She hadn't recognized either of the Vampires she had just killed, but it wasn't unusual, considering the union of the three great Covens under one leader.  Selene grabbed at one of the chains overhead, swinging herself into the four remaining enemies and Erika.  Her boot connected with the face of one, snapping his neck on contact.  He crumpled to the ground as she tore back the way she had come, toward the door and freedom.  She cocked her weapons, firing once again into the next contingent she happened across.  She had no time to consider what was happening.  Raze was lying in a pool of his own blood, apparently hit with old silver rounds.  They were burning into his flesh, but he was digging them out with a knife he had procured from his boot.  Selene slung his arm across her shoulders and helped him to his feet, all the while glancing nervously behind her for a sign of Death Dealers.  It appeared they were moving deeper into the lair, meticulously collecting all the Lycan specimens they could.  Ignoring the urge to plunge back into the fray, Selene and her injured Lycan companion melted into the shadows.


	3. Abject Hallucination

            "That was my family in there, and I left them to die.  Lucian would have ripped me apart if he'd seen what happened in there.  I thought we were prepared," Raze growled in his unusual voice. Selene had found a new hiding spot, an old bomb shelter with steel doors.  She was busily helping him dig out the rest of the rounds he had taken to his body.  "I have to go back!"  
            "You'll be of no use to them if you're caught as well," Selene answered calmly.  "I swear it, Raze, I'll help you get them out of that lab."  The old, flickering light illuminated shelves loaded with antiquated foodstuffs and cobwebs that decorated the corners like dusty bits of lace.  The eerie, blue glow of it did little to calm Selene's nerves.  Now that she had been discovered, she was no longer safe.  Not that she had ever been safe since she had killed Viktor.  Life had been a constant trial, always looking over her shoulder out of fear for being followed.  She shrugged the worries of her past to the side and focused on the task at hand.  "We'll have to find a new den.  Start over again.  We'll think up better, stronger ways of dealing with the Vampires.  When Michael gets here, we'll have him to help."

            "If Michael is even alive," he replied, playing on Selene's biggest fear. 

            "He's alive, Raze.  I know it.  Listen, the Death Dealers will be busy taking all of those Lycans back to the mansion for testing.  I'll use the time to scour the city.  If he's here, I'll find him.  In the meantime, hold onto this," she said, dropping the thick, leather-bound manuscript in his lap.  Her neat handwriting curled across the page.  "You'll have time to regenerate while I'm away.  I'll see if I can't find a computer while I'm out and find us a better place to hide."  She didn't wait for an answer.  Her booted feet made no noise as she ascended the stairs to the door.  "I'll knock in the same way you were knocking before.  Don't open this door for anyone else."  She slammed the huge, steel door behind herself, listening for Raze's movement.  When she was certain he had bolted it, she checked her weapons and started at the most obvious place she could think of; Michael's apartment.  

            She avoided the old haven like the plague, fearful of getting herself caught.  Something inside was adamant that Michael was nearby, and Selene found her feet moving of their own volition.  Piecing together what she had learned from Raze, she racked her brains for some sort of solution to the problem of the test-subject Lycans.  Fifty years ago she wouldn't have blinked when they bled a Lycan dry.  In fact, she'd most likely have been the one to bring the test subjects in. Where Michael's apartment building had once stood, there was a new development of flats with copycat yards and wrought-iron fences.  It was yet another reminder of how much the world had changed.  Her next instinct took her toward the old hospital, where Michael had been serving his internship when he was first sought out by Lucian.  Cars passed her without so much as a second thought, and a light rain began to fall, punctuated by flashes of lightning.  The sound of thunder led her hand to stray to her gun.  The hospital had closed, falling into disrepair.  It was a vacant space, a perfect place for Michael to hide. She decided after staring at it for a long moment to approach the emergency room doors and pry them open with her slender fingers.  Ever cautious, she drew her weapon and pressed her back against the wall, and after a look around, closed the doors.  White cloth covered most of the abandoned furniture, looking pale and ghostly in the natural light.  Selene turned on her flashlight, illuminating the dusty floors and lighting her way. The search of the first floor proved fruitless, so she opened the fire escape doors and began the ascent to the next floor.  The elevators had long since been shut off and taken down, leaving empty shafts.  A creaking from above led her to cock her weapon.  She clicked off her light, leaving the stairwell in total darkness.  Her night vision slowly took over, allowing her to make out shadows.  She pressed back against the outer wall, walking up the stairs sideways.  A groaning of old metal protesting overhead made her even more nervous.  She took the stairs more quickly now, trying to get level with her potential target for a cleaner shot, if the need arose.  Her eyes became unfocused, and she lost her clear mind.  She was so engrossed in finding her way that she screamed aloud as she brushed into something alive.  Alive and breathing.  The brilliant glow of a flashlight blinded her eyes.  "Holy shit, Selene!  You scared me!"  Selene drew back from the light, blinking stars from her eyes, gun still trained on her unseen visitor.  A man's figure slowly came into focus, broad-shouldered and narrow in the waist.  His long hair fell across his shoulders, which were draped with blue cloth. 

            "Michael?  Is that you?"  The flashlight clattered to the floor, forgotten.  His brilliant blue eyes met her amber-brown ones, and neither one seemed able to move.  "I thought you were dead," she whispered, finally breaking the silence. 

            "Likewise," he returned softly.  He reached out, his hand circling her waist, pulling her closer until their lips met, hunger and desire clear as their bodies pressed together. 

            As soon it had come, that flash of pleasure was gone.  Selene opened her eyes.  She was standing alone in the staircase, and Michael was nowhere to be seen.  Dazed from the realness of it all, she sank onto her knees and held her head in her hands.  She had never had such a real vision of him before in her life, and it frightened her no end.  She wondered to herself if the vision had been a passing fancy, or a picture of the future.  Sighing, she pulled herself together and left the way she had come, leaving behind her regrets.  If Michael was gone too much longer, Selene was liable to lose it altogether.


	4. Precarious Alliances

            Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed so far.  Your insight has truly inspired me to continue writing this.  Feedback is always appreciated!

            Little disclaimer (should have mentioned this sooner) Underworld and all of its characters are not mine.  I am just borrowing them for a bit and taking them for a spin. J

            "I don't know what's gotten into me," Selene panted, leaning against the cool, concrete walls of her shared hiding place with Raze.  It was more a whisper to herself than to Raze.  Generally, she was loath to share the information in her head with anyone, let alone her new unlikely teammate. 

            During her absence, he had managed to fully regenerate, though he was still covered in his own blood and sweat-soaked dust.  He met her eyes with hooded lids, guardedly curious, but saying nothing.  She looked as though she had seen a ghost.  From what Raze knew of Selene, he had never known her to be affected by anything, except maybe Michael.  "No luck?" he asked instead, keeping his thoughts to himself. 

            "No, but I…"she looked at him as though realizing for the first time that he was there.  "Never mind. The old hospital was deserted.  It might be a good place to start over.  The morgue is underground.  There's a hidden doorway behind the examination room."  Selene checked herself.  She couldn't possibly know that.  She hadn't checked the lower levels.  Her hallucination had frightened her into leaving.  However, she was sure as the moon rose that what she spoke was the honest truth.  She shook her head, but made no other outward gesture to suggest she was confused.  "We could move tonight.  If we went there, at least we would have room to move.  Your pacing is most irritating," she added.  Raze hadn't even noticed he had begun his usual pattern around the room.  It was so natural anymore that it didn't happen consciously.  He stopped out of respect for his roommate, staring at her. 

            "Something's happened, hasn't it?" he pried.  "It's Michael.  Did you see him?"  Selene's eyes went dark and troubled.

            "Not really.  But I saw a shadow of him.  A vision."  She didn't let on that it was so real she could feel the caresses and taste him on her lips.  Sighing, she gave him one of her famous "don't-ask" stares, then steered the subject back to relocation.

            "Part of the pack might be wandering, hiding in other places.  When we are scattered, we don't operate well.  It will be my duty to see to it that we all find one another."  Selene let him continue.  "If this location is as secure as I am hoping, we'll move tonight and set up a new camp there.  If it's suitable to our needs, I will be out every night until I am certain that everyone that wasn't caught makes it to our new haven.  I assume," he added, "that you will be going with me to make certain Michael is truly nowhere to be found." 

            "You'll need a new arsenal.  Guns.  Ammunition.  Will you raid your old site?"

            "That would be suicide.  The Death Eaters leave scouts.  Anyone attempting to return to a location that's been purged is caught and hauled in immediately.  They get tortured and questioned.  If they're lucky, they're killed then."  The dark undertone to Raze's voice had Selene curious.

            "Where is this laboratory?"

            "On the site of the ancients' tombs.  No need for the Elders to sleep now, is there?  There's only one Elder, and he's fueled by rage and the hunger to know what has happened to him."  Selene shuddered involuntarily.  She didn't fear Marcus.  She feared what he might have become.  "Whatever you do, resist any urge you have to go there.  We'll have to go in force.  With Michael, preferably."  Selene nodded.  Having seen Michael, a Hybrid in his infancy, and what he was capable of, Marcus the ancient would truly be a force of nature.  Michael would be the only one with any chance of defeating Marcus, and if he had retained the powers he had previously possessed, Michael's chances were slim.  Michael was alive, something inside told her so.  Her new food for thought was whether or not her visions were of the future, or mere haunting thoughts of what might be.  Tortured by this image, Selene sank against the wall and rested her elbows on her knees.  She was unwilling to believe yet that fifty years of searching had all been for naught. 

            Raze began the brooding pattern of pacing the room once again, but Selene was no longer unsettled by it.  Despite her endurance and all of her training, she found herself drifting off, half asleep.  Her thoughts were enough to keep her conscious.  It was a good thing, too, for not fifteen minutes later, there was a coded knock on the door.  Selene was instantly on her feet, back pressed against the wall as she cocked her weapon.  At a nod, Raze unscrewed the huge bolts and removed the heavy oak plank which served as added security.  It was Catarina, the Lycan who had guarded the door of the previous haunt.  Selene's gun was pointed directly at her temple, gun hand steady and unwavering as Raze checked the area behind her.  "I'm alone, Catarina said coolly, raising a hand slowly to push Selene's gun aside.  Sighing, Selene lowered her weapon.

            "Were you followed?" Raze asked urgently, fighting with the bolts. 

            "Not that I saw. I followed the Death Dealers until they were roughly two blocks from the mansion.  They got Brick and Anton.  There were ten others, but I couldn't make out their faces."

            "Did you see a blond Vampire?  She would have been leading the team."  Catarina eyed her with mistrust. 

            "You mean the prissy one?  Yah, I saw her all right.  All high and mighty and bossing everyone about.  You know each other?"

            "Know each other?  She wanted Kraven's love more than anything.  Now she serves Marcus, and she'll stop at nothing for power.  My head's on the line too, Lycan.  I didn't come with Raze to your haven for a picnic."  Selene cocked her head to one side, looking Catarina in the eye.  "Michael, the Hybrid, was partially my creation.  Mine and Lucian's.  I know the Death Dealers and the inner workings of the Coven and that mansion better than anyone else.  Be smart with me all you want, but I am here to help."  She shook her head.  "It's a new age, with new alliances being made and new enemies.  We have to have some semblance of trust or respect in order to function as a team."  Selene folded her arms across her chest and looked moodily the other direction.  She could hardly believe the words coming out of her own mouth, but she knew them to be true. 

            Raze paused mid-step, watching Catarina's face for a reaction.  He didn't trust Catarina farther than he could throw her.  He had kept her on as a favor to Lucian.  She was one of Lucian's creations, one of very few women embraced into the order of Lycans.  She was unpredictable and moody, like a teenage girl who has never known boundaries.  Though she had been a thorn in his side, seeing Selene attempting to put her in her place boded well.  Perhaps she would learn something after all.  "Rest," he ordered them.  "I'll get you up an hour before nightfall.  We can move together then, to this new place."  He was relieved that neither of his strong-willed companions voiced complaint.  As he polished the barrel of his beretta, he contemplated all that he had learned from Selene in the past few days.  Lucian had wanted peace with the Vampires in the end.  Having seen what Selene was capable of, Raze could see why.  If their goal in rescuing the Lycans and bringing down Marcus was peace, then Raze would be the first supporter of the cause.


	5. Bittersweet Reunion

            Michael pulled the ghost-white sheets off of the fifth-floor operating table and slung the injured Lycan he had found over its reflective surface.  The surgical kit hadn't been sterilized since the hospital had been closed, but the risk of death from allergy to silver was much more threatening than the bacteria which might have collected from disuse.  He was a young man, barely seventeen by the look of him.  He had been turned young, and it was about to become the death of him.  His practiced hands used the scissors to cut away the tattered remnants of the boy's shirt, eyes drifting to the six bullet entrance wounds in no specific pattern over his flesh.  He took hold of the gleaming tweezers, prying painfully at the half-cauterized wounds.  Smoke escaped them as he used his probe to seek out the dangerous missiles.  The boy moaned, though the pain had long since knocked him unconscious.  He must have been given up for dead by whoever had shot him.  Michael wondered who had done the shooting.  He hardly knew anymore what the ways of the Underworld had become.  Perhaps he would be able to revive this Lycan and get some much-needed information.  Thoughts of this cheered him little as he worked diligently, clever fingers doing the work with impressive ease.  The creature began stirring, clouded eyes rolling open, closing as quickly as he had glimpsed the shining pain contained in them.  The boy suddenly sat bolt upright, scrambling backward in a crabwalk off the table.  Michael reached out to steady him, but he shied away.  "Kill me now," he said fearfully.  "I'd rather die than be an experiment again!"  Michael raised his eyebrows, forcing him to sit still.

            "You're not going to be an experiment," he said reassuringly.  "My name is Michael Corvin.  I'm a doctor and I know what you are.  Don't panic.  Here," he added, passing his unwilling patient a bottle of water.  His lips were chapped.

            "Corvin…the Hybrid?" he inquired incredulously. 

            "I see you've heard of me," Michael replied, lips twisting into a wry smile. 

            "Dude, if I were you, I'd go back where I came from.  If Marcus gets his hands n you, you're toast."

            "Not if I get my hands on him first," Michael replied reassuringly.  "What's your name?"

            "Lukan."

            "Well, Lukan, I am looking for a friend.  A Vampire named Selene.  Have you heard of her?"  The boy's eyes darkened.

            "There isn't a day I don't hear someone mentioning that name.  Erika, the Death Dealer bitch, mentioned she had seen Selene two nights ago.  Walked right past my pen."

            "Pen?"

            "We're slaves, test subjects, man!  You and that Vampire girl have brought trouble for all Lycans.  We're being systematically exterminated while Marcus tries to figure out what the hell happened to him.  I assume you'd know.  He's a Hybrid like you."  Michael swallowed, sickened by this new development. 

            "I'll take care of you, Lukan.  I've got the perfect haven in mind.  Hope you don't mind dead bodies."  Michael didn't wait for an answer.  He picked the boy up like a sack of potatoes and slung him over his shoulder.  "You're too weak to walk yet.  I think I got all the silver out of you.  How'd that little mess happen?"

            "Escaped," he explained flatly.  "Think I'm the first to do it and get out alive.  When they brought in the new subjects, I managed to slip past.  A few slugs in the gut was a small price to pay.  There are worse things than death."  He paused.  "Think I can walk on my own," he added. 

            "Right," Michael replied, setting him on his feet.  They made their way down the old fire escape.  At hearing footsteps on the first floor, Michael shoved his charge into the corner and cocked his gun.  He had learned the good of caution in his travels, and had managed to become more than efficient with a weapon.  Of course, Selene's crash course in ballistics had come in handy.  The fire escape door banged open.  Obviously, the people were comfortable speaking aloud.  They thought they were safe. 

            "Oh shit!" One cursed.  It was a female voice.  She, like the Lycan he was keeping, sounded little more than a child.  "Raze, that's my toe," she whispered urgently.

            "Quiet!" a deeper growl replied.  "We don't know yet if this place is secure.  Will you get back against the wall?  I need a clear shot."  The voice sounded somehow familiar, but Michael couldn't quite place it.

            "Raze?"  Lukan shouted suddenly, throwing all caution to the winds.  A shot rang out, echoing eerily through the corridor.  Calculating the trajectory would hit Lukan squarely, Michael threw himself in front of it, disregarding the searing pain. 

            "You fucking idiot!  You trying to get us killed?" he hissed from his new resting place at the boy's feet.

            "Raze is my commander," he replied solemnly, loudly enough for the owners of the approaching footsteps on the landing to hear.  Before he knew what was happening, the whole scene faded to black.

            "How could you, Raze?  The boy shouted your name!"  Michael's eyes slowly brought the secret tunnels behind the morgue into focus.  He knew instantly where he was.  He had been here several times as a student, finding the place a nest of morbid solitude. 

            "How was I to know it wasn't a Vampire who recognized me?  I have a lot of enemies, as you well know."  The argument was growing to a fever pitch.  Michael instantly recognized Raze upon seeing him.  He had been Lucian's most trusted assistant. 

            "Dammit!  Let's stop fighting," a level female voice replied.  She sounded extremely defeated, but he knew that voice better than anything else on the planet.  That voice belonged to Selene.

            "Selene?" he choked, raising himself up onto his elbow.  "Selene!"  She turned slowly, as though hardly daring to believe that he was really before her. 

            "How do you feel?" she asked, trying her best to sound unconcerned.

            "Ten million times better knowing you're alive.  Where have you been?"  Selene eyed their company with mixed feelings.  He was really there, disheveled in his doctor's garb and his features half-hidden behind his long hair. 

            "Catarina, Lukan, go get some rest.  I'll take door guard," Raze decided suddenly.  "You have an hour to talk before I come back for a little chat," he added to Selene in passing.   Selene nodded neutrally, waiting until they were alone to meet his eyes.  Those poignant blue orbs seemed to swallow her whole.  It was instantly obvious his feelings for her had only grown during her absence. 

            "I've had these visions," she said, gaze unwavering.  She didn't move toward him.  She merely held her ground, a few feet out of reach.  "Why have they been torturing me like this?" she demanded.  "Every time I think it's finally happening, that it's real, it all just disappears," she whispered, voice trembling with emotion such as he had never thought capable of Selene. 

            "I'm not a vision this time, Selene," he said softly in return.  "I'm very much alive.  Disillusioned, but alive.  Here."  He held out a hand, which she reached for tentatively.  Their fingers intertwined, her grasp tightening as though testing him for truth.  He pulled her to him, kissing her roughly with all the passion he had saved up for fifty years.  She yielded to him, sighing with pleasure as she sank into his lap. 

            "Michael," she said suddenly, eyes troubled.  "You know what's happening?"

            "I've caught snatches from Lukan and what I've Seen."

            "What do you mean?"

            "The visions, Selene.  They're part of the transformation."

            "But I'm not a Hybrid," she protested. 

            "I don't know what is making you see, though I have my theories.  You've tasted my blood, Selene.  It's possible you contracted my virus." 

            "But I am the same as I have always been.  Nothing else even hints at such a thing," she protested.  "If that was the case, what about Lucian?"

            "Lucian bit me before I had Vampire blood in my veins.  It wouldn't have affected him."  Her seriousness had ruined the moment.  She was up on her feet, seeking the strong support of the steel walls. She seemed terrified of the possibility.  Did his condition frighten her?

            'He doesn't understand,' she thought to herself, biting back the wave of tears that threatened to drown her.  Her relief at his being alive had made her forget the certainty that her bite had done more than made him Hybrid.  Now that he was confirming her suspicions, she was struck with the worry at what she might become.  She had wanted this moment with all of her being, still did.  But she had hoped for a small scrap of comfort from him, not confirmation that reality threatened to swallow them and their fragile balance of a relationship together.  He was walking toward her, and she found herself sinking into the warmth of his embrace.  His scent was comforting as she buried his face in her shoulder.  She should be content with the fact he had returned alive, against all odds.  She had just managed to convince herself that he was all she needed to keep her anchored in the changing world when Raze returned, full of questions and prepared to wage war with Marcus Corvinus.


	6. Family Ties

            "What's to stop you from giving us all a little of your blood right now?  You know, to mix with the Vampires'?"  Lukan asked, sleep completely forgotten.  He had found that sleep was not easy in coming, and had overheard the better part of their conversation.

            "I agree.  Selene could give us some of her blood as well," Catarina added from her position in the doorway.  Selene felt a certain amount of indignation at that comment, but held her tongue while Michael explained. 

            "The only Lycan to try such a thing was Lucian.  He didn't survive the night, but I can't say that the virus was to blame.  That was Kraven's fault.  Lucian might still be alive if it weren't for that lying bastard.  I can't in good conscience risk you dying from such a foolish experiment."

            "I'll try it.  I'll be the test subject, if Selene agrees," Raze said reservedly.  "After all," he added slyly, "it was Selene who brought you to a Hybrid state.  I assume that since both bloods run through your veins, Selene wouldn't even be needed for the test.  Lucian was concerned about injecting himself with tainted blood.  If I die trying, at least we'll know for sure."  Selene arched an eyebrow, thoroughly surprised by Raze's statement.  She had just now realized that her reunion with Michael had not been a vision after all.  In this discussion, she was a mother of sorts to Michael, something she hadn't even considered in all the time they'd been apart.  It was an awkward moment.  Everyone was staring at her, waiting for confirmation.  She chewed thoughtfully at her lip.  With two Hybrids on their side, they had a better edge over Marcus in an encounter.  However, she wasn't certain of her own state, and the small amount of manpower they had would be needed in case they were discovered.  She knew that if Raze fell ill, they would be unable to have him in tow in the event of an escape attempt.

            "I need time.  A half hour, at least," she conceded at the dangerous looks from her comrades.  "Please, leave me in peace."  The younger Lycans disappeared at a nod from Raze.  

            "I'm going back to the door," he growled.  Michael stood to go. 

            "Stay," she pleaded.  Her voice softened Michael instantly.  He seated himself next to her on a ledge where the stones of the hospital's foundations stuck out. "Michael, I…" she found herself silenced with a finger to her lips. 

            "Having heard the details of what's happening at the mansion and taking into account the fact that Raze has stuck by you since you arrived, I think he deserves the choice, don't you?"  Michael's honest blue eyes captivated her.  As he spoke, they filled with an earnest strength.  He had grown considerably as a creature of the night, and he had only grown more attractive as a man.  She fingered a strand of his long hair lovingly, still trying to reassure herself that the whole thing was real.  "We are going to help Raze, aren't we?"

            "I feel like I owe the Lycans a debt," Selene explained.  "I spent so much time terminating their kind because I wanted to exact vengeance for the pain caused me.  It turned out they were innocent, and although I killed Viktor, I feel the need to repent."

            "That's an odd line coming from a Vampire," he said, bemused. 

            "I suppose I also feel the need to finish off Marcus, and to take down Erika.  She's become to big for her stilettos."  Michael grinned lop-sidedly. 

            "Let Raze try.  I am afraid of what might happen, but he deserves the chance."  Selene finally relented, her only indication of agreement was a slight nod of her head. 

            She found herself leaning into him, longing to make up for lost time.  His well-muscled shoulder was warm and inviting.  He automatically pulled her closer, burying his face in her dark hair.  They sat for a long time, not bothering to speak and not needing to.  She looked up into his eyes.  They were warm, reassuring.  The uncertainty of what the next day might bring, and the fear she had felt about the changes that were taking place in her psyche were temporarily forgotten; lost amid the soft whisper of breath and the reassuring thud of Michael's undead heartbeat in her ear.

So, yes, for those who were curious, Michael really is there.  Selene is no longer hallucinating.  This is a short chapter, but I kind of felt like it wrote itself and it stands on its own.  Thanks so much to all of those who read and reviewed my fic!  I keep writing for you guys!  (And who of us doesn't wish we created Underworld?)

This is also a little note to remind people that the Underworld characters are not mine, I am just borrowing them for a bit.


	7. Achieved Intentions

            Selene was leaning against the corner, legs and arms crossed as though to block herself from the whole occurrence.  Still, she had a cocked gun in her right hand.  It gleamed where it rested on her shoulder.  Michael was sitting on the ledge where they had had their earlier discussion, face stoic as he stuck the hypodermic needle into his own arm and proceeded to draw a vial of his own blood.  He was in no mood to bite anyone.  Due to the fact that he was so recently changed, still in his infancy, his human aversion to biting another human being was still in place.  He had to be especially careful, not knowing what he would do to someone if he passed his disease along.  Selene winced as he gasped.  Ironically, she still maintained an almost human distaste for needles.  Her hair hung across her eyes like a veil while she half-watched the proceedings, ready to intervene of things became dirty. 

            Together, Raze and Michael had hauled in an old autopsy table and doctored it with lengths of chain to restrain Raze during the test.  Lukan had been posted at the door, while Catarina looked on, grim-faced, as Michael removed the needle and walked with a measured pace to where Raze braced himself.  "If you die, it will not be in vain, as a Vampire lab test.  It will be proof that only the Corvinus line can exist as Hybrids."  Raze met his gaze, unwavering.  "But if it works…"  Michael swabbed Raze's arm as he spoke, "hang on for the ride."  Selene was no longer feigning disinterest.  Her eyes were on Raze now, watching his every move as Michael stuck the hypodermic in his arm and slowly squeezed his blood into Raze's muscular body.

            The effect was almost instantaneous; the metal of the table groaned in protest as Raze strained against the chain and began to convulse violently.  Everything happened in slow motion from that point on.  Fascinated, Selene watched as Raze's dark skin took on a hue of violet, rib cage expanding to allow more room for his racing heart.  His face elongated, then retracted into a more human visage, eyes shining black as obsidian as his mouth opened in shock, pointed teeth dripping.  He hands opened and closed, fingers flexing as they elongated and his nails extended to razor-sharp points.  His clothes fell in tatters around him, barrel chest heaving as his leg muscles expanded until the sinews stuck out like cords.  All became deathly still.  His breath was hoarse and uneven.  Selene moved from her nonchalant position to stand in front of Catarina, who opened her mouth to scream.  She slapped a hand across the girl's mouth, eyes never leaving Michael as he changed easily into his Hybrid form to restrain Raze.  The two oddities eyed one another with wary respect.  Realization filled their empty eyes, and before long, they were returning to their more human forms, face-to-face.  Selene let Catarina go, approaching the pair.  "I think that would be a success," Michael remarked. 

            "I want to go to the lab and rescue my family," Raze growled.  It was clear instinct was taking over, and the electrifying energy involved in the change had sent Raze's heart racing. 

            "Caution, Raze.  We're going to need to get inside first.  We're going to need a plan, and a good one.  Although I dislike the Coven, they're not fools."  Selene was in one of her brooding states, pacing restlessly like a feral cat back and forth across the ledge. 

            "She's right, you know.  We can't just go in, guns blazing.  That would be too Selene."  Michael was mocking her, but it wasn't far from the truth.  Her lips parted in a vampiric grin. 

            "I've grown up a bit.  Fifty years on the run change a person.  Not to mention that going in guns blazing was my job."  She seated herself on the ledge, drawing one knee to her chest.  "Lukan says he escaped.  I say we pick him for all the information he knows before we go in blind.  I'm not for surprises.  The last thing I need is Kraven showing back up."  Michael coughed heavily, lowering his eyes.  He had unchained Raze, who had resumed his pacing that so irritated Selene.  Catarina had chosen to explore deeper into the tunnels and see what she could do about converting the space into a better center of operations.  It was obvious to Selene she was still in shock. 

            "Tomorrow night," Lukan coaxed.  "We'll go in tomorrow night, Raze.  Selene's right.  I'll tell you anything you want to know."  It seemed that Selene's need to be in Michael's arms would not be addressed this night.  She resigned herself to a night of militant tactics and forcing herself to listen.  Michael compromised, seating himself beside her and resting his hand on her knee.  She was very much aware of his touch as she attempted to focus on what Lukan was saying.  She absent-mindedly stared off at the wall.  It wasn't at all like her to forget herself where briefing was involved.  She was a Death Dealer born and bred, and although she had left that life behind her, she still couldn't forget the training she had received.  Although he was right beside her, Selene pictured Michael in the mansion, backed up against a wall and locked with another Hybrid.  Her best guess was Marcus, as this Hybrid looked nothing like Raze.  Fear gripped her belly. 'I'm losing my nerve over nothing,' she chided herself.

            "What do you think, Selene?"  Michael's voice brought her back to the present.  "Selene?"

            "I'm sorry.  I'll let you two plan and then you can run it by me for suggestions.  I have to rest."  A slender hand to her forehead, she wandered dumbly down the hall and around the corner to a makeshift room Catarina had created with old privacy curtains from one of the third floor recovery rooms. 


	8. Spiritual Realization

            After a very lengthy discussion, Selene settled herself onto an old hospital mattress.  Despite the fact it was ancient and dusty, the sheets that she had found had been surprisingly clean.  Michael had remained behind to wrap up the discussion, following her departure with concerned eyes.  Selene had been rubbing her temples as though listening to the discussion was a strain.  Michael had never seen her react in such a manner when there was work to be done.  He had always seen her cool and focused on the task at hand, not easily distracted by any small thing.  He excused himself from the discussion after coming to a sort of agreement on what Raze wanted to do.  He told Raze he would be the one to run the idea past Selene.  The excuse was one to give them a little privacy as well.  Catarina had finally resigned herself to sleep, and Lukan agreed to take the door longer so Raze could rest up for the next night's mission. 

            Michael entered the room, not knowing what to expect.  They had been moved to the most private part of the hiding place, and actual storeroom that had once held the formaldehyde that the morticians had used to prepare bodies for their funerals.  It had a closing door, and was substantially more private than the curtained partitions that served as makeshift walls.  The room was lit by an emergency candle, bathing the room in soft, gold light.  Selene's body was curled up tightly, not unlike a cat in repose.  The tenseness was clear in her shoulders and the worry lines that creased her face.  Even in sleep, she seemed worried.  He couldn't resist drinking in the softness of her curves beneath the linen sheet.  Not wanting to disturb her, he turned to leave.  "Don't," her voice cut through his private thoughts. 

            "What?" Michael asked, desperate to stay.  Now that he had her where he could see her, the thought of being away from her was becoming unbearable.  She didn't move from where she lay, but her eyes opened and she was looking into his soul with them.  He moved with a force not of his own volition, seating himself beside her.  His hand closed on her arms, fingers pressing gently into her skin as he turned her to face him.  He stared into her eyes for a long moment before bending down to press his lips to hers.  Selene's arm snaked around his neck, and she pulled herself up level with him.  His arms went across her bare shoulders, smoothing down the vinyl of her leather top to her slender waist.  Her hands subconsciously traced the firm muscles of his shoulders and down his chest.  Before long, she had half-undressed him, and all of her concerns and worries were forgotten as he warm breath tickled her neck.  They were curled together, half in a stupor, and half-crazed with unfulfilled desire.  Selene's eyes had gone electric-blue, and her nails traced lazy patterns down Michael's bare arm.  He pressed closer, the heat from his body comfortable against her bare back.  As a rule, they had only acted on their desires once for fear of what might happen if they bred.  Selene was trying not to think about the implications as she turned to face him.  It was then that realization dawned on her.  Her body was changing from her bite.  Their desire was molding the nature of her change, preparing her body for what was inevitable.  She was evolving to bear Michael's child.  The nature of the virus was uncharted, and Selene had no doubt that it had something of a mind of its own.  No creator who would be long-dead before his twisted plans came into action would leave the idea without the ability to sustain itself.  Selene could feel the changes happening gradually, and her instincts were turning her toward fulfilling her wants. 

            Michael was now staring at her intently, not interrupting her reverie.  She turned and kissed him again, all her longing and need that had built up over the past fifty years behind that kiss.  Michael returned it with all of his own longing, hungrily nipping and caressing her body.  Before long, everything that was going on around them had been temporarily forgotten, lost in the throes of pleasure they were creating for each other.  They rested at the threshold of completion, the kind of completion they had only achieved when their inhibitions were forgotten and they were experiencing the primal drive of their kind.  Michael hovered over her, eyes reverting to their cool shade of blue for a moment.  He was searching for reassurance.  Selene's strong hands guided him to her, and all their frustrations and wants that had built up over their separation were released in one powerful burst of energy.  The unique dance they worked around one another was deeply meaningful to them both.  Selene was accepting the chances of becoming mother to Michael's child with every thrust, and her realization that this was what she had so desperately wanted ever since she had first seen him at the subway station filled her with contentment.  Exhausted, they collapsed together in a tangle of limbs, their half-changed bodies relaxing to their more common human state.  Selene wrapped them in the sheets, listening to the soft puffing of Michael's breath as it evened out and he drifted to sleep.  Selene smoothed a stray strand of hair from his face, watching his long lashes flicker lovingly.  For one sweet moment in all the time she had been a Vampire, Selene felt wholly and totally at peace.  She fell into the first dreamless sleep she had experienced since the night she had been awakened by the blood feud spilling onto her doorstep.  Viktor had stolen her innocence that night, and a small part of her relationship with Michael was bringing that innocence back to her.  Every time he held her, or looked at her with his sweet eyes, she found a part of herself that had been in turmoil for so long loosen its hold on her battered psyche. 

            With Michael, the world's frustrations didn't seem so overwhelming. 

A/N: sorry this chapter is so short, but I felt like it stood on its own.  I am not one for hoidy-toidy love shtuff, so I tried to keep the fluff to a bare minimum.  I can't exactly see Selene as the soft housewife type, can you?  I hope the understanding is that a lot of Selene's love is based on desire and the more primal animal instincts of mankind. 

Thanks SOOOOOO much for all the reviews I've received.  Particularly Sarge1, you keep me motivated, and I keep writing!  J


	9. No Remorse

            Michael was awakened by the banging on the door.  Selene had been up for awhile, for the minimal heat her body put off no longer warmed the furrow she had created next to him on the mattress.  "Michael, we need your medical expertise," Catarina's voice called out worriedly from the other side.  "Lukan said you were a surgeon."  Michael dragged himself out of the tangle of sheets, pulling on the clothes he had left all over the room with a speed born of emergency training.  He opened the door to find Catarina still poised to knock a second time. 

            "I'm ready.  Let's see it."  He followed her through the short maze of passages and into the large room where they had been holding their planning meetings.  There were three Lycans lying beside each other on the ground, each in various states of consciousness.  He opted to work on the alert one first, and quickly, before he got any worse and slipped away.  As there were only two shells, it was quick work.  He then moved on to the harder of the two remaining cases. His skilled hands worked the knife and calipers around sinew and straight into the deepest recesses where the bullets were hidden.  Instructing Catarina on how to properly bandage the wounds, he moved on to the third.  He was half-awake, struggling to pull a silver-tipped dagger from his elbow.  Raze had already pulled the worst of his missiles out, and so he was recovering slowly.  Once all three were resting comfortably, Michael looked around for Selene.  Raze met his eyes with a burn of regret. 

            "We went out together," he explained delicately.  "She was leading the Death Dealers away from here while I brought home these three.  She told me she would loop the city and then lose them downtown where the buildings are higher.  She's streetwise, Michael.  She'll be all right."  Michael looked at him with hooded eyes. 

            "How come no one woke me up?  I'd have been glad to come along and help!"  Raze shook his head, half-smiling. 

            "Selene and I agreed that they would target you first and foremost.  You're like our secret weapon, Michael.  It's better if you stay here."

            "So, I have to sit here and wonder if you two are going to come back?  I assume Lukan and Catarina are allowed out, too?"

            "No.  Catarina is very young and Lukan is still weak.  I made sure they'd stay behind and guard this place with you.  You aren't the only one on at-home status."  Michael relaxed only a little from this news.  Selene was still out there, running the streets whil he was sitting at home, twiddling his thumbs.  Michael looked at Raze like he had an extra eye in the middle of his forehead.  "She'll be back.  Content yourself with knowing that you just saved valuable lives. The two with the bullets are two of my most valuable friends.  Brick and Anton were captured in the raid the other night.  If anyone can give us an accurate account, they can."  Michael nodded slowly. 

            "Who was the third?" he inquired. 

            "Adam," he replied matter-of-factly. 

            "Adam?"  Michael's eyebrows arched as his eyes widened.  He returned to the bedside of the third rescue.  As clearly as he could picture his old friend, every feature was identical.  Adam had somehow become a Lycan.

            "We stumbled across him in a back alley awhile back.  He's been relatively useful in the field of genetic research.  The Vampires knew this, and they've been using him."  Michael could hardly believe his eyes.  He rubbed his temples as though he were trying to rid himself of the vision clouding his eyes.  When he opened his eyes again, Adam hadn't disappeared.

            "I know him," Michael said quietly.  "At least, I did when we were human."  He paced the length of the small space, seating himself on the ledge. 

            "Nothing's the same, is it?" Raze asked shrewdly.  "I was an ancient architect, back in Egypt.  I had a wife, two beautiful daughters, and we lived at the summer palace, on the east bank of the Nile.  My children were growing up under the eyes of the pharaoh.  Life was perfect, everything had fallen into place for me.  One night, I was walking along the mines where the stones for buildings were cut.  I had been commissioned to make a great monument.  I fell.  I don't know exactly how.  I think I lost my footing on the shale.  I was losing a lot of blood.  I was dying.  Lucian found me there.  He didn't even speak my language, but he saw something in me.  Lucian gave me the chance to live.  I took it.  From then on, the only time I could call on my family was when they were asleep at night.  My wife married my brother and my old life as I knew it was gone."  Raze looked sorrowful, but that moment of vulnerability faded as soon as it had come.  The door banged open, and Lukan let out a whoop. 

            "All right, Selene!  How'd you get these?"  Lukan held out two full duffel bags of UV bullets. 

            "Took a little detour back," Selene explained, interrupted mid-sentence as Michael kissed her in front of everyone.  Her arms went around his neck, and she pulled back sheepishly as Catarina whooped.  "I'm fine.  Not a scratch."  Michael gestured to her arm, which was bleeding.  "Well, maybe a small one," she relented.  "I can take care of myself," she said, meeting his eyes. "They all made it back?"  Michael nodded.  "We're going to have to postpone the raid a few more days.  I need to do some recon."  She stepped away from him.  Once again, Selene was in her element, ready to jump into the fray and put her incredible talent at figuring out puzzles to good use.  Michael knew there would be no stopping her once she got going.  He watched with remorse as she seated herself on the ledge, tapping away at a laptop she had procured.  He decided to leave her to her own devices, knowing full well he was only going to be a distraction.  Sighing, he sank down next to the rescued victims and pulled his knees to his chest. 


	10. Encountering Friends

            "Hush, Lukan," Selene hissed, night-vision binoculars in her left hand lighting up the fenced-in-yard of the mansion an irritating shade of green.  The lad had been babbling on to himself for the better part of an hour, not saying anything in particular.  "If you want to be of help, grab my duffel bag."  Raze was around the back side of the building, performing rear-side reconnaissance as she watched the comings and goings from the front gate.  There were four guards along the perimeter, walking armed with high-powered rifles and equipped with trained dogs.  The rottweilers of the Death Eaters were part of a proud tradition.  Had Kahn escaped, he would have continued unchecked as the best guard dog trainer that they had ever seen.  Selene tried not to think on her old friend, concerned that he would have become her enemy if he had managed to escape the scrape with the Lycans.  Everything had changed. 

            The gates had been updated with newer technology, technology Selene had become unfamiliar with since her fall from grace.  They were going to have to figure out a way to scramble the system and get past the new measures.  The mansion itself remained virtually unchanged.  The front looked quiet, elegantly decaying and looking for all the world like it was falling into disrepair.  It was a good forefront to keep curious humans away, and an even better ruse against a Lycan or Vampire not using an attentive eye.  Lukan had begun muttering to himself again when Selene finally nudged him.  "Come on, we're moving in closer.  I need to take some surveillance photos."  She uncapped the lens on her camera, slinking with all the grace of a feline on the prowl.  Her legs muscles contracted and she sprang over a low hedge until she was only ten feet away from the gate.  She knew from her experience as a Death Eater that the dogs would be able to detect her at any time, and that she had to work fast.  Lukan looked on, suddenly at a loss for words as she moved along the property line, photographing each length of fence with urgency.  She had a cocked gun held beside the camera, ready to fire in case she was discovered.  He rummaged through the duffel bag he had hauled for her.  He had asked to be allowed on this mission, and he didn't want to sit around idle in the event of an attack.  He found a beretta and a pre-loaded clip and knelt for a better angle.  He had used a gun only a few times before, and never on a moving target.  He swallowed hard as his worst fear was confirmed. 

            It started out softly at first, but the barking of the dogs quickly grew to a cacophony and the sound was directly headed for them.  Selene had heard the dogs, and had already turned to head for the hedge.  The dogs appeared to have run ahead of their handlers, for he saw no bipedal targets through the binoculars Selene had left behind.  Shouldering the duffel bag, he cocked the gun and prepared to run at an angle that would intersect with Selene's flight path.  In the distance, he could make out some of the Death Dealers running along the perimeter fence.  The alarm was tripped, and the dreadful howl of the warning siren brought back terrifying memories to the young Lycan as he grimly set his jaw and gave chase.  He watched Selene tumble acrobatically, firing two direct hits at the oncoming dogs.  It would prove to be the wisest move she could have made.  Without the dogs to scent the intruder, the guards were having a much harder time finding her.  She sprang over the hedge and began tearing down the empty street, silhouetted in the yellow lamplight.  He caught up with her about a half a mile down the road, clutching her chest. The glow of flashlights scanned the undergrowth around the mansion.  "We can't wait on Raze," Selene whispered, matching her running gait to his.  "He can take care of himself.  Let's find a place to lie low for a few minutes."  She grabbed his wrist, spurring him to a faster pace as the remaining dogs picked up their scent and tore after them down the road.  Selene led them into a stand of trees, tossing him up into the lower branches.  "Climb," she ordered, returning to the road.  "After they pass, head back to the hospital."  Lukan nodded, not daring to speak.  Selene continued down the road, leading the dogs away from his hiding place and with them, the Death Dealers. 

            He watched as they hurried past not two minutes later, the dogs getting louder and more excited as the scent carried them toward their prey.  He watched as six men rushed past, long coats trailing behind them.  Breathing a sigh of relief, he slowly descended the tree, doing as he was bidden and heading back toward the center of town and the hospital.

            Selene tried harder to evade her pursuers, plunging herself knee-deep in a nearby creek.  The mansion was fairly remote, on the outskirts of town, and unfortunately, she was leading them away from the city.  She wanted to be certain that they wouldn't be able to locate the haven and her friends, particularly Michael.  She was getting tired fast.  If they weren't thrown off soon, she'd be facing a head-on confrontation with the Death Dealers.  Her odds were unknown, as she wasn't certain exactly how many were following her.  She resigned herself to lying flat in a ditch.  Her sides were heaving and her chest felt as though it might split in half.  She was covered in a layer of dust, and the air felt oppressively hot, although it was nearing winter.  Sparks swam across her vision.  She wondered to herself if she would even be able to get up.  Holding her gun next to her cheek, she tried fervently to slow her breathing.  She tried not to think of what would happen if she was captured.  Thoughts of Michael and his temper crossed her mind as the dogs sniffed up and down the bank of the creek, not more than fifteen feet from where she lay.  "Did we have a visual?" one snapped. 

            "I think it was female, but I can't be sure," a second answered.  "I only got one look at her, and she was barely more than a shadow.  I thought there was a second, too."

            "Thought isn't going to hold up well with Erika.  She'll have our heads if we lost the intruder."

            "Sod her," a familiar voice growled.  Selene was almost certain it was Kahn's best friend, Xanatos.  "Let's go back. We'll tell her it was a fox again."

            "She won't settle for that excuse all the time," the first voice countered.  Still, they all seemed to respect Xanatos' point-of-view and turned back the way they had come.  Selene breathed a sigh of relief.  She wasn't sure if it had been luck on her side, or if Xanatos had recognized her, but she wasn't taking any second chances.  As soon as they had leashed the dogs and moved two hundred feet away, she took to her feet and limped painfully in the opposite direction, prepared to return to the city after a large loop.  After a short while, she bent to drink from the stream.  The water moistened her lips, its coolness hard on her stomach.  She fell to her knees and retched. She was trembling all over. 

            "Something's going on.  My eyes must be deceiving me.  Selene, is that you?"  Xanatos was soon at her side, everything about him the same as ever.  He had soft Russian undertones to his accent, but those were very muffled by his years at Kahn's side.  He had been Kahn's right hand when developing new technology, and he had always respected and trusted Selene as a warrior and colleague.

            "Are you insane?" Selene choked.  "They'll kill you if they find out!" 

            "They don't question me," he replied gently.  "Where have you been?"

            "Here and there.  Xanatos, go home.  I'll only be more trouble for you.  Or bring me in, if you want.  That might be better for you."  Xanatos met her hazel eyes with his troubled gray ones. 

            "I wouldn't dream about it.  I'm fed up with the Coven.  We're little better than slaves under Marcus anyhow.  He's particularly interested in you and that Michael Corvin.  Care to tell me why?"

            "I…can't," she replied.  "Raze'd shoot me if he found out.  Unless…"

            "Unless I change my allegiances, right?  You were checking out the mansion, Selene.  You're planning something.  I can help."  Selene allowed him to help her to her feet. 

            "I have to get back into town."

            "I have a car waiting on the edge of the woods.  I'll take you.  It's the least I can do.  Kahn believed in you, Selene.  We saw things that prove corruption.  They're writing off Kraven's disappearance as your doing as well.  Kahn didn't believe that you did anything wrong.  Neither do I.  If you promise me you can help us by helping those Lycans in that mansion, then I'll do whatever it takes."  Selene nodded slowly. 

            "Xanatos, they might not let you leave the haven once we get there.  We are paranoid of being found.  If they had any idea that Michael was here as well as me, I'd be putting more people in danger than I care to claim."  Xanatos nodded. 

            "I'll take that risk." 

            Michael was rampaging up and down the length of the room, trying to keep his temper in check.  "I'm not letting her go out if she keeps taking risk like this!" he bellowed at Lukan.  "You're sure she wasn't caught?"  
            "I can't be sure of anything.  There were only six of them.  Selene should have been more than a match for them, if they found her, right?"  The recovered Lycans were all sitting together on the ledge, watching in silent interest as Michael switched back and forth between him human form and his Hybrid one.  Adam was particularly interested, and the most silent.  It appeared he was ashamed with himself for not believing Michael when he had come for help all those years ago.  

            "I can't rest on assumptions.  She's being reckless, as usual.  I can't sit here anymore, you know?"  Michael calmed himself.  "I'm sorry." 

            "They're coming in.  The guy she's with isn't Raze, though," Catarina clarified.  Selene entered the room in a flurry of motion.  Michael eyed her companion suspiciously.  He smelled like a Vampire. 

            "Michael, this is Xanatos.  He's a Vampire, a friend from my Death Dealer days.  He's going to help us."  Michael relaxed a little as she came and took his hand.  "This is Michael."

            "I thought you were a myth," he admitted, shaking Michael's hand.  "Selene tells me you want to rescue the Lycans from the lab.  I want to rescue the Vampires from slavery.  It appears Marcus is the cause of misery for both races.  Let me help." 

            At a nod from Michael, Xanatos was welcomed into the haven.


	11. Imminent Realization

A/N: I am truly sorry I haven't updated this sooner, I just finished moving and I got married last week. I am working furiously to finish this. Thanks so much to everyone for your awesome reviews. They really keep me motivated.

"You can't possibly suggest that this vampire is going to be allowed in here with little or no clearance? What if he sells us out?" Adam, who was listening and trying to piece things together, had offered his two cents.

"Bullshit coming from your mouth, Adam," Michael barked irritably. "Considering you sold me out to the Lycans and left me to die in the first place. I trust Selene, and if Selene trusts him, you have no say about whether or not he's here." Selene's eyes studied Adam with venemous intent. She recognized him vaguely, it was starting to make sense now.

"This vampire is the mastermind behind the security system, Adam," Selene replied calmly. "He's going to get us in."

"Maybe you," said another. "I respect you, Selene, but I can't in all sanity go back there again. You've proven that an alliance with the Vampires could be a good thing, but there are others in there who don't share your opinion. Besides, running around with you is like asking to be a target. Being a fugitive has its disadvantages."

"Don't think I'm not aware of that," Selene growled dangerously. "I wasn't running for the exercise, you know. There are quite a few things I would rather not deal with, like being chased by people I once called friends, and finding myself locked in rooms with people who don't trust me, but fear Michael. Leave if you like, but you're of no use skulking about in corners here. The only way to get through this is to work together. I know old enmity dies hard, but there is little alternative at the moment. We are all the hunted now." Selene began to pace, not at all like her usual, collected self. Leaning in a corner and watching Raze do the pacing was more her style. Where was that Lycan? Selene had never had a tendency to worry, but she seemed to be developng a soft spot for him after having spent a long amount of time in his company. "If Raze isn't back soon, someone will have to go after him," she said aloud, more musing to herself than the general group.

"I'll go if we need to," Catarina volunteered. She looked like she was tired of being locked up on door duty. Selene nodded immediate agreement. Something wasn't right. She'd nearly bled herself out before, but the feeling in her gut was nothing to compare with any pain she had experienced from a flesh wound. She was holding herelf upright for show; she'd rather have been bent double at the moment cradling her torso. Ah well, there were worse things than pain. More pressing, at least. Xanatos snapped open the laptop he had pilfered from his car and was typing away furiously. He pulled up the schematics for the mansion with its alterations via a decaying signal line; untraceable.

"As soon as your fellow general gets here, I will brief everyone. Right now I am dowloading the blueprints to disk. Just in case we need the disk on mission. The laptop might be suspicious if it is missing from the car when I sink it."

"Sink it?" Catarina asked incredulously.

"They'll take him for missing or dead. It'll keep them from running an active search for a deserter. We don't want another fugitive," Selene explained calmly. Lukan's voice was heard from down the short length of hall.

"Raze is coming. He'll need medical attention asap." The heavy grinding of the door being shut was still softer than the sound of Raze's panting.

"Raze, you joined us," Selene greeted him with a smirk. "What kept you? Dancing with the Death Dealers?"

"That little snark, your blond friend, has the place overrun with new recruits. They were clumsier than elephants in a mud pit, not usually a problem, if it weren't for sheer numbers."

"That could be a problem," Michael said calmly. There was a touch of irritation in his tone at this news, but Selene didn't seem overly phased. She was busy giving him a quick exam. He growled as she touched his shoulder with probing fingers. She proceeded to immediately dig through Michael's medical kit for the tweezers and shove them into a thumb-sized gash. He howled in agony as she threw the silver round and tweezers aside and leapt quickly out of the way of his thrashing limbs. He began his pacing.

"Have anything useful to report?" Selene inquired, moving accomodatingly into a corner, where she leaned with her legs crossed at the ankles. Raze shook his head in defeat.

"No, couldn't get in close enough."

"Nevermind that. Xanatos is a security administrator with blueprints, and Lukan has been prisoner there. Adam was on the science team, and a few of these others have seen at least parts of the mansion. The upper, livable levels we've seen for ourselves, provided that true to Vampire nature, nothing has changed." Michael seemed to be putting things together beautifully. Selene couldn't help but admire what fifty years had done to the once-frightened and confused Lycan she had fallen in love with. "We have a very small contingent to work with, and no one here is required to fight if they don't want to. However, having been there, having seen what Marcus has done to you and others like you, can you in good conscience sit and watch the rest suffer?" Appealing to conscience was a technique Selene hadn't considered. She had a vendetta to consider. The Elders had all been aware of Viktor's lies, and knew what had really started the war. Selene knew that Marcus would see her killed if he didn't die. It was a life for a life, a sticky situation which Selene loathed being a part of. She raised an eyebrow, her only display of emotion, despite the fact that her mind was churning endlessly as she debated what to say. The Elders had lied to everyone. They had lied to her, to Kahn, who died for their cause. The rage building up inside of her had to take a backburner to the obvious importance of the planning at hand.

"We can get into the mansion easily enough," Selene said suddenly. "Xanatos won't disappear at all. He'll bring me in."

"What are you saying? Are you insane?" Michael asked suddenly. "You're not throwing yourself into a sticky situation."

"I'll be the distraction. Raze will creep in while I monopolize Marcus' interests in a deep discussion. In the meantime, Michael, you'll lead the rest of the team in and see if we can't keep the Death Dealers busy."

"Easy," Xanatos said. "I give the false lead to the den of all Lycan dens. We send Erika and her beasts in the wrong direction. She'll do anything to advance herself. A Lycan den is too tempting a prospect to ignore. That will leave the house less protected, as she will assemble a large team to attack a den of that scale."

"That will free the team to come with me," Raze added, "and Michael can dance with the Devil." Michael wrung his hands eagerly. It was becoming obvious to Selene that Michael would not let her finish Marcus alone. Once again, she would be forced to pit her mind against her heart. The very thought of it sickened her. So much so that she crept out of the room and retched forcibly into an embalming tray. The sound of it carried to the next room, where Raze was forced to cover his surprise with the grunt of pain from Michael relocating bones.

Selene was frustrated with herself. After a couple hundred years of being immortal with no problem, she was finally feeling a hitch. It wasn't possible for her to become ill. The disease of Vampirism was worse than any other diease, one of the main side effects if not turned properly being imminent death. She was concerned that in her current state she might not function. She took a deep breath. She would just have to bank on the fact that Marcus would want her alive, at least for a short while. He wanted to know what had caused his change, and he would want her to tell him. "Selene?" Catarina's voice inquired, sounding more sensitive than usual. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Selene reassured her, putting on her best brave smile. "Tell Michael I will be right there to help with planning, I just need a moment to myself."

Catarina nodded slowly, turning and closing the curtain behind her. Selene sank to her knees, sudden realization dawning on her. Her eyes widened and her hands went to her stomach as the worst wave of pain yet over took her. She opened her mouth and closed it a few times, but managed not to cry out. Her worst suspicions were confirmed. Selene was almost certainly carrying Michael's child.

"Everyone knows the plan," Michael said matter-of-factly. He gave Selene a sideways glance. She was unusually quiet and restless, more so than he had ever seen her. He wondered if it was just nerves, walking into a hornet's nest and stirring up trouble. He smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring smile, and she managed a weak but beautiful smile back. She and Xanatos would be leaving within a half hour. Michael was starting to feel as though he might never see her again. She seemed strangely nostalgic, wrapped in an aura of frail memories. She seemed to be thinking very hard about something. He walked her into the corner, where she leaned against the wall. He used one hand against the wall to support himself. "You don't have to go," he whispered.

Selene's face contorted as she considered this. She was torn by what he had said. It was very unlike her to reconsider. She was a fighter, Michael knew, and a fighter never backed down from a challenge. "Because I feel responsible for this fight, I have to help both Vampires and Lycans, Michael. I will go." Michael moved aside as she stalked to Xanatos. He held out a length of rope, and she held out her wrists docilely behind her. Michael and the rest watched with utter fascination as Xanatos shouldered his gun. Selene looked at Xanatos and nodded. An unspoken agreement had been made between them. Once outside, she wanted him toshoot her in the shoulder. As the gun was loaded with silver rounds, the shot wouldn't kill her. It would, however, be much more convincing. And he would bind her totally, shoulder to ankle. She kissed Michael softly, resting her head against his chest. "Don't let your love of me cloud your judgment in there, Michael. I love you." With that, Catarina moved aside the bolted door of the vault and the two Vampires entered the realm of darkness. Something gave Michael a strange feeling she shouldn't go, but he didn't stop her. As much as he loved her, he trusted her judgment implicitly.

Selene knelt down, bracing for the shot. Xanatos looked away as he let the round loose into her shoulder. They had to do it before they went outside, where they ran the risk of being seen. Selene felt an awful pang in her belly as she gasped in pain. Xanatos helped her to his feet. He felt guilty, but then, she had been right. She would go through much worse than a premeditated shot to the shoulder if she ran in guns blazing. He held her by the crook of her elbow, steering her roughly as she put up a very valiant false struggle. Anyone watching would be thoroughly convinced. He opened the door to the back seat of the car and held her head down as he shoved her in to avoid hitting it. He knelt and worked an intricate knot around her as quickly as he could between her thrashing. He slammed the door. As they sped off, Selene relaxed. stopped. Her undead heartbeat had quickened with the thrill of intrigue. "Marcus stays in a chamber at the bottommost point of the house, near the labs. The burial chamber is just a hallway, really. The lab is a honeycomb of rooms straight ahead. Marcus makes his chambers off to the right. They've been specifically redesigned for him. Selene, he's not like Michael. He's in an eternal state of change. I hope it isn't a turnoff for you," he added jokingly. Selene managed a smile. "There are always six guards outside his door, although I highly doubt he needs a single one. Sometimes he interviews the test subjects personally, so you may not be alone in the room with him. I will most likely get asked to stay while the others are sent out on the raid. I am afraid I will have to leave you and catch Michael at the gate. If they let me go."

"Just look like you know what you're doing. It always worked for me." Selene winced as he grated to a sudden stop at the gate. Another Vampire regarded him curiously as the gates swung open to allow him in.

"This is it," Xanatos hissed softly. "Good luck, Selene. I hope you know what you're doing." Erika was there immediately, tossing her blond hair over her shoulder as she stalked irritably toward the car.

"Where have you been, Xanatos?" Her eyes grew wide as saucers as he elbowed her out of the way, opened the door, and slung the bound Selene over one muscular shoulder. Selene glared at her as she writhed vehemently to get free.


	12. Last Stand

"Okay," Michael hissed under his breath. Of the Lycans they had rescued, only a handful had come. Among them were Lukan, Catarina, and two others Michael hadn't introduced himself properly to. Raze was crouched beside him, gun cocked over one shoulder, a light grenade ready to activate in the other. It was a sparse group, but one Michael was proud to be a part of. He wasn't used to being asked for instructions, least of all when it involved weapons and breaking and entering. Selene should really have been the one in charge while he had gone in, Still, the reasoning had been that a regular Vampire wouldn't stand a chance against him in a rage and Selene was the more believable capture. He tried to resist the urge to take up the pacing where Selene had left off. Something about the plan agitated him even more than the fact she was in there. Some hidden instinct. He glanced at Raze, who for once was still and calm as a rock. His unblinking gaze was fixed on the gates, where they were waiting for Xanatos to give the signal and let them in. Catarina was busy opening duffel bags and distributing ammunition. They wouldn't go in empty-handed.

Selene winced as Xanatos dumped her at Marcus' feet. The overlord of all Vampires, a man she had seen only one before during his hundred year reign, was more hideous than she had expected. She managed to appear unruffled as he leaned down and put his face to hers. His skin was fiery-red, wrinkled and etched with violet spots in places. His eyes were black as midnight, empty with the absence of light. His breath was sticky and smelled of death, his wide mouth full of pointed teeth twisted into a pleased and awful smile. "You have done well Xanatos," he stated smoothly. He looked at the guards, who shuffled awkwardly. They had refused to admit Xanatos. He had elbowed them aside and walked right in. "Leave us!" His voice boomed and echoed madly around the hollow room. Xanatos walked out with them, looking meaningfully after him. Selene had hauled herself to her knees, still bound. Blood seeped from the hole in her perfectly good leather corset. Her hair was bedraggled. She looked as though she had been to hell and back. She was perfectly convincing. Satisfied, he busied himself with slipping away unnoticed. "You are charged with slaying a Vampire Lord, fleeing the mansion, and consorting with Lycans. The penalty for these charges is death. You will not be tried or spared. However," he said almost gently, "Viktor loved you like a daughter. If you tell me what has happened to me, I will make your death mercifully swift." He got right in her face. "If you don't, your death will be so slow, you'll be begging to tell me. Either way, I will know. So, start talking." Selene sucked the breath between her teeth. She needed to make her explanation last a good while. With careful contemplation, she began the retelling of how she met Michael Corvin.

Xanatos met an almost immediate hitch as he was confronted by Erika and her Death Dealers. This new regime, all totally loyal to her, were unlikely to let him off without a good fight. He tried as inconspicuously as possible to draw and take the safety off his gun as she advanced toward him. "I bring orders from Marcus," he said.

"You took my glory," she hissed. "What is it Marcus wants?"

"We have located the last Lycan den. He wants you to have the honor of finishing them." Erika glared at him, sizing him up.

"That's right. We'll bring them all in. Marcus will be so pleased he'll forget all about Selene."

"I'm sure he will," Xanatos said tauntingly.

"Let's move!" She said, not taking her eyes off of Xanatos. "We'll let you lead," she said suddenly. Xanatos froze.

"I wouldn't want you to lose any of the credit," Xanatos said. "Here, take my computer. It has a complete map." Xanatos held out the technology at arm's length. One of the Death Dealers snatched it at a nod.

"I'll deal with you when I get back," she threatened.

"I'll be waiting," he replied, smiling knowingly. She whirled after her men, sliding into the open car door nearest her. The two carloads of Vampires sent gravel a few into the air as they pealed out. Sighing with relief, Xanatos waited until they were out of view.

"They're on the hunt," Raze reported. "They'll be backtracking. We need to be quick." Michael saw the wave from Xanatos. The sizzling remains of the front gate camera were clasped in his right hand. Michael waved his companions forward. Catarina was at their head, ready for a fight. Michael couldn't help but admire her spirit as she landed gracefully beside Xanatos. The camera would be discovered any moment, for the alarm system had been tripped and the entire building was undergoing lockdown procedures. Normally, the house would be swarming with Death Dealers, but most had left with Erika to oversee the dissolving of the den. Only a few were left, and they were quickly silenced. It was the dogs that became a problem, Raze let out a howl that carried eerily on the cold night air, and the other four Lycans brayed a response as they shifted. The dogs leapt at them, and a mixture of barks and yelps filled the night. Michael let them deal with the dogs. He felt a sudden sense of urgency to find Selene. Xanatos was beside him, shooting at anyone that approached. Michael scarce felt the round that ripped into his torso as the full effect of the change gripped him and he sank to all fours. His shirt rent itself to make room for his quickly-expanding shoulders. The disc of the full moon was reflected in his eager eye for a moment before he plunged through the front door, which rocked on its twisted hinges like some sort of amusing toy. The few Vampires that made up the wealthy part of the Coven stared in shocked silence as the Lycan-Vampire mix crossed the length of the floor and leapt half of the staircase that led below. The Lycans had caught up to Xanatos and were pointing their guns at the well-dressed upper class. None of them were the fighters that Selene and the old regime of Death Dealers had been. Still, their teeth were bared at the sight of the hated Lycans within the Coven's home.

Michael's distincitive roar interrupted Selene's speech. It was a guttural, otherworldy sound, one that sent Marcus' hackles on end. It was a challenge. He picked Selene up by the ropes that laced across her back and dangled her a few inches above the floor, moving forward effortlessly into what had once been the resting place of the Ancient Lords. The sound itself stopped everything. Lycans and Vampires alike froze in expectation as the sound reached them in the lab. As Xanatos and the Lycans burst in, loaded guns at hand, the whole congregation was looking down the length of the compound in rapy fascination. Even Xanatos hesitated. He had never seen two so different, yet so alike foes. The very genetic makeup was what made the pair so incredibly fascinating. Selene was thrust aside like a sack of potatoes, sliding head-first into a wall. Her cry of pain raised Michael's gall to an even higher level. He bared his teeth and flexed his claws. Marcus leapt at him furiously. The two ancestors of Corvinus faced off admirably. "What are we?" Marcus snarled. "Tell me!"

"The product of the Corvinus genetics gone mad," Michael hissed. "My name is Michael Corvin, Marcus. I have come to claim freedom for the Lycans as well as the Vampires. I have come to claim you." With that, there was no more breath wasted on talk. They threw themselves at one another, slashing at one another in a motion so similar it was like looking through a mirror. Selene managed to drag herself to her knees. Her eyes began searching the area furiously for something to cut her bonds. Her breath was extremely labored, her head was pounding from the impact, and there as always, worse then ever, was the stinging pain in her abdomen. She bit her lip as she slithered clumsily for the first sharp thing she could find; a decorative spike that lined the wall. The fight raged back and forth until Michael slammed against the wall full force only a few inches in front of her. The hole he left in the reinforced concrete was a full two feet deep. He glanced at her, his eyes softening for a brief moment.

"I'm fine. Get him!" Selene raised her eyebrows meaningfully. Michael hesitated only a moment longer before plunging back into battle. Marcus had used the hesitation to his advantage, hurrying up to meet him. Michael ducked at the last second. The gears were turning in the Lord's mind. He fell into a crouch, circling until he was between Michael and Selene. He reached out and took her by the throat, holding a dangerously sharp, claw-like nail against her throat.

"Move, and she dies." Michael's face contorted in indecision. Selene shook her head as he went to change form. "Yes, I knew you had a soft spot for this...Vampire. No sudden moves, my boy." He got a better grip on her throat. Selene shook her head almost imperceptibly. Michael knew she would die for the cause. If he lived, she'd berate him for a coward. Steeling himself, he threw himself at Marcus. The older Hybrid tossed Selene aside like a stray bowling pin as he hit the wall. She slid until she landed at Xanatos' feet. He slashed her bonds in one sweep, helping her to her feet. She glared at the assembled Vampires and Lycans with contempt.

"Let there be peace between our species, even if for this one cause. Marcus is a tyrant. He is half of each of you, as is Michael. In a few minutes, the Death Dealers will return full force and invade this place. They'll kill indescriminately. Work together to fight them off, and we can win. We are all spawned from one bloodline. Like it or not, the blood of Corvinus runs through all of our veins in some form. Fight together!" The Lycans behind Raze began the task of freeing their comrades. Selene, now freed of her bonds, took the wrapped bundle she had begged Raze to bring. She unwrapped it slowly, reverently. Inside was the sword of Viktor, the very sword she had sued to slay her untruthful Sire fifty years ago. The Vampires and their once torture-victim Lycan charges moved like a silent, graceful wave away from the fray. One of the Lycans gave Selene an empathetic look as she passed. It was Catarina, Selene realized.

For the first time, she noticed she was bleeding at the throat. It was a mere surface scratch, not deep enough to do any damage. Her muscles were seizing from being tied in an uncomfortable postion for too long. Her head and chest ached. She forced these miserable thoughts aside when she saw Michael, who was putting up a valiant front, even though it was quite clear that Marcus held the upper hand at that moment, He'd had the advantage of restful nights, and the experience of ruling over a very deceitful race for hundreds of years. Selene knew if she interfered with the two heightened with lust, she'd surely die. Once again, the sword was in her hands. Once again she had to make a split-second choice. This time it was different. She had another life to think about. After a long and silent internal battle, Selene made her decision. She would die for certain if Marcus overtook Michael. With her mouth set in grim determination, the fighting blood she was famed for running through her like a tidal wave, Selene moved steadily toward the Hybrids. Neither seemed to notice her, too focused on their own matters. She was a fly on the wall, a mere trivial onlooker. She could be dealt with after the final blow had decided things. Selene recalled one very vital part of her training; never let your lust for blood or feud take over, or your judgment is sorely hindered. It was so with Marcus, when the stinging-hot hiss of metal caressed the pulsing artery in his throat. The sword left Selene's trembling hands and clanged off the wall. In a fit of anger, his final burst of energy was used in lunging for her throat, the momentum hurtling her against the brick. Without Michael's incredible immunity to pain, the world went unforgivingly dark.


	13. Epilogue

Marcus' now inanimate face had a permanent look of surprise where it sat across the room from his body. The last thing he would ever remember seeing was his own body, too far away to hope that the severed nerve center could reattach itself. In an instant, Michael was cradling Selene like a child, supporting her head. Her breath was shallow, and the coughing up of blood was a sure sign something internal had been damaged. Without a second thought, he slashed his wrist with an elongated nail, letting the blood drip on the luscious curve of her upper lip. It trickled between her white teeth and into the cavern of her throat. Sputtering, Selene began to convulse violently. Her normally dark eyes went their Vampiric ice blue, then a very deep shade of violet. because she had been a Vampire for so long, the color of her skin became milk white, slender fingers flexing as the work of a new change settled over her body. Her rib cage expanded, her breath came in a cough as her teeth sharpened to menacing spikes, then faded back to normal. Although she was not awake, her breath had evened into a smoother pattern, her pulse quieted, and she was Selene again, a porcelain doll in Michael's arms. He lifted her gently over one shoulder, picked up the sword, and began his ascent of the stairs. The Coven moved aside like butterflies in a gale, bending knee to Michael. He eyed them with only fleeting interest. His goal was to get her up the stairs to a room where she would be able to rest and recover. It was as he was halfway up the second flight of stairs when the Death Dealers returned from their false mission. Erika was in an extremely foul mood, ready to take Xanatos down to the lab and disembowel him for the liar he was. All she could do was stare open-mouthed at the mixed court of Vampires and Lycans bending knee to the couple. In an instant, her team was surrounded and subsequently locked below in the stocks. For Michael, the world contained only Selene. But for Raze and Xanatos, it meant a forging of a treaty, or a return to bloodshed. They approached one another in front of the entire assembly. "For your loyalty, you have ours," Xanatos said. No one made even a slight move to interfere, they were too in shock.

"We will live as equals, ruled only by Michael's direct descendants. A united Underworld, a kingdom of all creatures of the Night will be forged." The pair clasped hands with one another with a measured amount of respect.

"We wait for Michael to tell us what will happen," Xanatos ordered. "There will be no fighting. I suggest you all get some rest."

The room was spinning slowly into focus. Selene opened her slanted hazel eyes with the care one has when seeing the world for the first time in a few days. Her eyelids flickered as Michael's face came into focus. "There you are," she said gently.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked her intently. It was a question she knew she was going to have to answer eventually.

"It would have clouded your judgment even further," she said miserably. "I wanted to, but..." Michael silenced her with a kiss.

"I want you to marry me," he said firmly. "I'll need your help. Raze and Xanatos forged an alliance between the species. The Immortals are united. I can't rule a kingdom like this alone."

"And I can't live without you," Selene answered. "The late mornings, the feeding the crying..." Michael smiled. "All right, I'll marry you," she finished, exasperated. They shared one long kiss, and that, as they say, was all.

Selene speaks: It all seems such a happy ending. And for Michael and myself, with our hopes for the future, it was. But the old enmity was still not forgotten, and it would take many years and much patience to realize a unified Underworld. Michael grew into a wise leader. He named Raze and Xanatos his counsel and gave them the rule of their own kind. Our son, Eric, the first true-born Hybrid, was named heir to the throne and started his grooming as King. I watched my son grow from a curious boy into a young man with much sadness. We often make sacrifices for a greater cause, and mine as a parent was greater than most. The Corvin line had secured its successor. When Eric came of age, Michael abdicated and left Eric in control of things. We decided to make a family outside the political circle, and so, with a heartfelt goodbye, Michael and I left the mansion and the city and built a house in the countryside of Wales. There, our daughter, Elise was born, and we strove to be a real family. Away from the Immortal Coven. Away from the bad memories. It's a pity that in the long road of immortality, life has a way of breaking even the most perfect of peaces...

A/N: Sorry it's over! It's sure been fun. But keep checking back, as I plan to start a new one soon. Thanks to EVERYONE. Reviews are most appreciated! :)


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